5 Do’s and Don’ts for Home Isolation During COVID-19 Pandemic

• Firstly, allocate one room of the house for the affected person, if it is available.  An amply ventilated room that has a few furniture is regarded as ideal. The room should have a separate bathroom for the sole use of the affected person.

• Secondly, wear masks as much as possible and convenient while staying at home, especially when coming in any form of contact with someone caring for you – even while maintaining distance. It is ideal to use reusable masks. One should wash the mask after every 6-8 hours of constant use, preferably by the isolating person themselves or by their carer.

• Do not use disposable masks at home. If they are unavoidable, they should not be washed and used again. Washing disintegrates these masks which in turn compromises their protective abilities.

• Thirdly, keep your own utensils and other items of personal use in the room with yourself. This includes a plate, glass, towel, clothes, etc.

• Do not come in even relative contact with anybody without wearing a glove. It is ideal for the patient to wash their belongings. But if their carer has to do it, gloves should be strictly enforced while washing.

• Fourthly, sanitize before and after using shared spaces, specifically the bathroom. Be mindful of areas that you touch. This is to be maintained for each person that uses the bathroom in any way at all.

Do not allow visitors.

Relatives, delivery professionals, or outsiders of any kind are to be strictly forbidden to come in during the time of isolation. This is to be followed for the entire premises of the house, not just the rooms of the isolating individual.

• Lastly, people with co-morbidities, pregnancy, weak immune systems, etc should be isolated even when they do not show any symptoms.

• Nobody from the household of isolating people should go out for anything non-essential. This includes going to places of worship, shopping, casual meeting, etc.